Nearly 396,000 utility customers across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama were left without electricity on Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias moved north. The storm, which made landfall on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane near the Gulf Coast vacation hub of Destin, Florida, marks the first hurricane to hit the continental United States since Milton in October 2024.
The storm’s path has been marked by tragedy, with at least four deaths confirmed. In Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff Chip Simmons reported that a woman died when a tree collapsed on her home, while a man succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in his garage; four of his family members, ranging from ages 4 to 72, were treated for exposure. In Alabama, Birmingham Fire Chief Cory Moon confirmed one person was killed by a falling tree, and state emergency management official Josh Johnson noted a second fatality occurred in Barbour County during a vehicle crash involving a downed tree.
Significant infrastructure damage was reported in the Florida Panhandle, where hurricane-force winds ripped the roof off a Pensacola hotel and destroyed a boathouse in Destin. Panama City Beach officials noted structural damage to a high-rise facade, while Pensacola’s mayor stated the local airport “took some damage.” Along Alabama’s Gulf coast, Mobile authorities reported widespread fallen trees and power lines. Several major routes along the coast were open by daybreak on Saturday and free of downed trees and power lines typically seen after major hurricanes, despite warnings of storm surges ahead of the storm.
Federal support has been mobilized, with President Donald Trump approving emergency declarations for Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Additionally, the US Energy Department has authorized emergency crude oil exchanges from the strategic petroleum reserve to mitigate supply disruptions caused by the storm’s impact.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) warn that the storm’s remnants continue to pose risks of flash flooding and strong wind gusts as they travel toward the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic. Tornado watches were in effect Sunday for parts of the Carolinas, Virginia, Richmond, Raleigh, and Washington DC. Life-threatening surf conditions are also expected to persist along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Forecasters say that conditions brought by Simon are spreading northward along a stretch of coastline that includes Puerto Vallarta.
International weather developments remain critical as Pacific storms intensify simultaneously. The cyclone Simon has surged to 155 mph, nearing Category 5 status as it approaches the coast of Mexico. Forecasters expect the storm to bring 8 to 16 inches of rain to Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco, with isolated totals potentially reaching 30 inches, creating severe risks of mudslides and flooding through Monday. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Simon strengthened to 155mph (250kph), only just below the threshold for becoming a category 5 storm, as it approached Mexico’s coast. With as much as 30in possible in places across Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco through Monday, rain could average 8-16in over sectors of south-western Mexico.
In North Carolina’s Burke County, rescue teams were deployed to the Catawba River after a camping party was caught by rising waters associated with the remnants of Simon. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Rachel is impacting northern Mexico and southern California, prompting flash flood warnings in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial counties.
Authorities in the Long Beach peninsula have issued mandatory evacuation orders effective through Tuesday. Emergency crews have distributed approximately 11,000 sandbags to residents, and officials have red-tagged eight buildings, deeming them unsafe due to storm-related structural concerns. Long Beach officials have provided about 11,000 sandbags for the storm to protect homes from the rising tide.
